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Android Pie (Android 9) introduced a set of new navigation gestures to replace the navigation buttons. Of course, there are many new features in Android Pie as explained in this guide.

If you just switched to Android from iPhone, you will get used to these Android Pie navigation gestures very quickly. But if you prefer the three navigation buttons, you need some time to adjust.

This Android Pie guide explains how to enable Android Pie navigation gestures, how to disable them, how to use them, and answer some questions you may have on Android Pie gestures.

Background of Android Pie navigation gestures

In Android OS, the navigation buttons had been an essential part. Since Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS, Android 4.0), on-screen navigation buttons (software based navigation button) has been introduced to replace the hardware capacitive buttons.

Although Google wanted to kill the hardware buttons in Android (FYI, all Google released phones including Nexus and Pixel phones only use on-screen navigation buttons), Android manufacturers, especially Samsung, are slow to move in this direction. For example, Samsung only started to remove the hardware buttons in Galaxy S8 and S8+ in 2017.

For new smartphone users and old people, the navigation buttons (hardware or on-screen) are very useful and intuitive.

But for experienced users and younger generations, gestures can be more productive.

Of course, the Android Pie navigation gesture is not a complete replacement to the old navigation buttons because:

Android Pie navigation gestures still need the home button. The back button will also appear automatically whenever necessary.

Android manufacturers can always customize the gestures, or even disable them and use the old 3 navigation buttons.

In the future Android releases (e.g., Android Q), very likely, Google will strengthen and navigation gestures. In fact, in Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the old navigation buttons were disabled, and owners have to use the Android Pie navigation gestures.

What are the Android Pie navigation gestures?

Android Pie navigation gestures are all based on the home button. Here is the list of supported gestures:

Swipe upwards from the home button to see recent apps. This is equivalent to tapping the Recent/overview button in the old 3-button system.

Swipe right from the home button to switch to the previous app. In the old 3-button system, you need to get this in two steps: tap the Recent/Overview button, then tap the icon in the overview screen.

On the release date, only Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL received the Android Pie (Android 9) update. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the first phones shipped with Android Pie.

Most Android vendors started to roll out Android Pie update for their flagship phones from October 2018.

Why do you care about the new features of Android Pie (Android 9)

For most end-users, user interface (UI) is one of the most important features.

Android Pie will not disappoint you. There are tons of UI improvements. Of course, unless you are using a Google Pixel phone or an Android One phone, the manufacturers may tweak these new UI features a bit.

This page highlights the top 20 new features of Android Pie that most Android users will be happy to enjoy.

For app developers, there are also many new features of Android Pie. For example, Android Pie now supports the Wi-Fi Round-Trip-Time (RTT). So you can take advantage of indoor positioning in your apps.

Anyway, updating your phone to Android Pie will rejuvenate your Oreo phone, which may look boring and work slower day-by-day.

#1 of the top 20 new features of Android Pie: new navigational gestures

Navigation buttons (Home, Back and Recents/Overview) have been a standard feature in Android for a long time.… Read the rest

New Features of Android Oreo 8.0 #1: Picture-in-Picture mode (PIP)

Picture-in-Picture mode was previously introduced to Android TV with stock Android, but not on mobile.

Unlike the split screen mode in Android Nougat, PIP allows you to continue watching videos in a separate small floating window while using other apps at the same time. In other words, you can watch videos and use other apps at the same time. More apps will support this feature.

To use PIP mode, you need to start by playing a video in a video player or on Youtube. Then, press the home button on the navigation bar. The video would appear as a small floating window. You can relocate the video window and further adjust the size of the floating window according to your preference.